Kamala Harris has come under fire for ignoring interview requests from the press. On this week’s On the Media, the debate over whether giving media access actually helps inform voters. Plus, a guide to understanding election polls, and how they’ve evolved since the failures of 2016 and 2020.

[01:00] Host Brooke Gladstone explores a rising complaint from some in the political press that Vice President Kamala Harris isn’t engaging enough with reporters, featuring: Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post columnist, Matt Bai, a journalist at the Washington Post who has interviewed many presidential candidates, and David Lurie, a contributing writer for Public Notice.

[19:57] Host Micah Loewinger speaks to Courtney Kennedy, Vice President of Methods and Innovation at Pew Research Center, to reassess our Breaking News Consumer’s Handbook on polls and answer the age-old question: should we care about them at all?

[34:26] Host Micah Loewinger speaks with Gordon Hanson, an economist and a co-director of the Reimagining the Economy Project at Harvard University’s Kennedy School, about why tariffs have rebounded in political popularity amongst Democrats and Republicans.

Further reading:

“Harris should talk to journalists more. Particularly the wonky ones,” by Perry Bacon Jr.
“The media gets nothing from Kamala Harris. That’s mostly on us,” by Matt Bai
“Kamala Harris is cutting off Trump’s political oxygen,” by David Lurie
“Key things to know about U.S. election polling in 2024,” by Scott Keeter and Courtney Kennedy
“Washington’s New Trade Consensus: And What It Gets Wrong,” by Gordon Hanson

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Is Kamala Harris’ Press Strategy Depriving Voters — Or Just Journalists? Plus, Understanding Election Polls.

On the Media